


Rainy Conditions

by TerrifiedAristocrat



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Boxers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, adorably blushing Cecil, angstn'fluff, previous one-sided relationships, previous relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-23
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2017-12-30 06:20:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1015182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerrifiedAristocrat/pseuds/TerrifiedAristocrat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Death is like an injury- it heals, but aches every time it rains.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rainy Conditions

**Author's Note:**

> In the infancy of my Carlos blog I was prompted for a headcanon about Carlos losing something, so I wrote about him losing his best friend. Sad, angst, blood. But there’s fluff at the end, so yay?

What Carlos liked most about the desert was that it didn’t rain

It rained in Seattle. Every day Carlos woke with the scent of rain in his nostrils he prepared for a long, slow day. He prepared for reoccurring, sad thoughts, for churning stomachs and aching eyes.

Night Vale was dry and didn’t get a lot of rain, and Carlos was glad.

But one day he woke and his bones hurt and his skin stuck to his bed sheets and he just knew it would be one of those bad days, one of those days where every time Carlos turned a corner he saw a puff of ginger hair and wide blue eyes like lake water.

At noon the sky over Night Vale clouded over and the air reeked of rain, only it smelled too metallic, like blood. That made it worse.

When it rained the rain was violet… no, purple. It came down with a purple haze that curled around the cars and buildings in Night Vale, that muted sounds and fussed with brakes. Cecil reported three accidents on the radio. Each time his smooth voice intoned a notice of grief (“to the families of…”) Carlos chest hurt more. He stayed inside all day, until one of his assistants suggested Carlos go out and get samples of the weird purple rain.

"You look like you could use some fresh air," she said. Her name was Lisa. "Also the rain is purple. Maybe we should take samples,"

They had all day to get samples. But they didn’t because most of the day was spent wrangling an enthusiastic lizard that was possibly poisonous. Not that Carlos didn’t like lizards, he thought they were as cool as the next guy. But…. poisonous ones…?

Carlos found a hat, wide brimmed and made of straw. he donned it and got some sample cups before climbing into his cramped Jeep and trying not to think about how he should have been driving that day, he shouldn’t have insisted on David driving because he’d only had one beer-

Carlos stopped his car after a bit. It didn’t want to stop for a moment, but then obeyed. Carlos sat in his car for a few minutes before pulling out a sample jar and stepping out into the rain. It smelled heavy and metallic, like blood. Carlos almost gagged. His fingers shook as he screwed off the lid and his throat closed up as tears threatened to spill over.

Purple rain dribbled and spattered into the collection cup at an agonizingly slow rate- the stuff soaked Carlos’ hair and his clothes and his glasses were blurry even before he started crying silently, hot tears rolling down and mixing with cold, blood scented desert rain.

Someone was calling his name but for a moment Carlos wasn’t in Night Vale, he was in the suburbs of Seattle standing next to the wreck of his car with David bleeding all over his steering wheel, with bits of windshield in his head and the slow, low sobbing of an intoxicated but alive teenager whose life was ruined by a mistake, just a stupid mista-

"CARLOS." hands grabbed his arm and shook him almost roughly and Carlos was in Night Vale again, holding an overflowing cup of purple rainwater, sobbing and hyperventilating while what felt like a black hole in his chest collapsed his lungs. Cecil was there, peering worriedly up at Carlos with wide violet eyes from under a black umbrella.

"Cecil." Carlos whispered hoarsely. "Why are you out in this?"

"Station Management announced it was ‘leave your car at home’ day," Cecil explained, offering Carlos his umbrella. "For the environment, you know. I saw you standing here and became worried- this rain has killed three people already!"

"Those were… motor vehicle accidents," Carlos scraped out before a fresh wave of tears spilled out, pouring down his cheeks heavily. He nearly doubled over, feeling crushed by the pain and irony in Cecil’s words. It was just… it was too much. Cecil reached up and thumbed them away, cooing at him softly in something that sounded archaic and soft.

"Carlos," Cecil crooned in English. "You have a motor vehicle,"

"I’m a careful driver," Carlos mumbled.

"You’re crying," Cecil noted.

"I’m aware," Carlos sniffed.

"Are you going to be alright?" Cecil asked.

"I don’t know," Carlos admitted.

"I’ll stay with you," Cecil announced seriously. "Although I’ll have to use your motor vehicle-"

"I’ll drive." Carlos cut Cecil off.

"Of course," Cecil nodded. Carlos screwed a top onto his sample jar clumsily before hurrying into his car. Cecil got into the passengers side and folded up his umbrella daintily. It had the NVCR logo on it.

They closed their doors and Carlos sat still, listening to the soft sounds of rain beating around his car. He was soaked and felt like a wrung out dish towel.

"Did something happen?" Cecil asked softly.

"Yes." Carlos whispered. "Back… back in college. My best friend David. Head-on collision with a drunk driver. He died before the EMTs came. It was raining." 

Cecil’s hand found its way on the side of Carlos’ arm, stroking it gently. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.

Carlos drove to his apartment because he was sad and distracted and not thinking straight. Cecil didn’t say anything about it, instead continuing to stroke Carlos’ arm comfortingly.Once Carlos had parked his car they both dashed into Carlos’ apartment, staggering into it awkwardly. It was somewhat absurd, since at least Carlos was soaked to the bone. the scientist quickly ran to the utility room and started peeling off his damp and purple clothes. For a moment he’d forgotten Cecil was there until Carlos was standing in his boxers with a red faced Cecil standing in the hallway.

"O-oh sorry," Carlos apologized, quickly ducking into the utility room and closing the door. He felt his face burning up.

"Oh it’s not a p-problem at all!" Cecil stammered from the other side of the door, which made Carlos blush even more. The scientist just stood there, a door between him and the sweet but unusual radio host who really seemed to like him.

David would be nudging him and grinning that lopsided thing that came out when there were bikini-clad beach maidens running around- Carlos wanted to cry, but instead a laugh came out at the absurdity of the situation. On a whim, Carlos swung the door open and was met face to face by a furiously blushing Cecil. Carlos paused for a moment, and then kissed him fiercely and aggressively. Cecil reciprocated, and he tasted like rain.

One thing lead to another and Carlos was very glad the bedroom was close to the utility room.

Later on they curled up next to each other around a ridiculously heavy and soft quilt Carlos’ grandmother had made for him. He rarely used it, but it felt right to bring it out. Cecil kept going on about how soft and gorgeous it felt and how Carlos’ grandmother was a master seamstress and Carlos couldn’t stop laughing. His window was cracked open some, and the rain was either starting to smell normal or he was getting used to it.

"I liked the way rain sounded," Carlos remarked quietly. "Before…"

"Rain was always a soothing sound," Cecil agreed. "Although we’d have to make continuous blood sacrifices to make it come…"

"Oh," Carlos remarked shortly, not sure how to reply to that. Cecil giggled in Carlos’ ear and nuzzled his neck.

"I’m sorry about your friend," Cecil remarked softly into Carlos’ throat.

"David," Carlos replied softly. "He was… he was the first person I had a real crush on. I never… I never got to tell him," a tear rolled down Carlos’ cheek slowly. Cecil lifted his head and kissed the tear gently, hugging Carlos tightly under his quilt.

What Carlos liked the most about the desert was Cecil. Even on those days when it rained, he existed and made it all ok.


End file.
